Here are your commonly confused words for the week:
1. to, too, two
to (prep)- movement toward; in a direction toward; toward or reaching the state of
example: Daren went through the hall, into the room, and up to the front.
example: Please take this letter to the post office and mail it.
too (adv)- in addition; also; more than sufficient; excessively
example: Marich and Meghan wanted to go to the circus, too.
example: Rheatha used too much butter in the cake recipe.
two (n., adj, pronoun)- the number 2; equal to one plus one; having two parts
example: I have told you two times that a negative times a negative equals a positive! Duh.
Often there are (to, too, two) many people (to, too, two) tell a secret. Any more than (to, too, two) poses a serious threat that the secret will be revealed. (To, Too, Two) often we make the mistake of trusting (to, too, two) many people, and we hear the secret coming back to us from (to, too, two) different sources. It is like walking into a stone wall, because the shock is almost (to, too, two) much to bear. The (to, too, two) lessons (to, too, two) be learned are that more than (to, too, two) people can't keep a secret, so tell it only (to, too, two) the one person you trust most.
2. which, witch
which (adj, pronoun)- the particular one or ones
example: Brian had difficulty deciding which fishing rod to buy.
example: His decision was based upon which of the rods came with a reel.
witch (n)- a woman who practices sorcery; an ugly, old, vicious woman
example: In Salem, Massachusetts, there is an active coven of witches.
1. I always had difficulty deciding (which, witch) dessert I like best.
2. You have given me several reasons, none of (which, witch) is acceptable.
3. The children were afraid of the old woman because they thought she was a (which, witch).
4. (Which, Witch) of these suits do you like better?
5. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the (whiches, witches) tell Macbeth several prophecies.
6. Write two original sentences. Use which in one and witch in the other.
3. woman, women
woman (n)- an adult female human
example: Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State
women (n)- the plural form of woman
example: Two of the women in the band played guitar.
1. Gwyneth Paltrow is one of the (woman, women) in show business who has succeeded both on stage and in movies.
2. Four (woman, women) in the United States Senate are from California and Maine.
3. (Woman, Women) have fought for years to receive equal pay for equal work.
4. Eleanor Roosevelt was one (woman, women) highly admired by the American public.
5. Write two sentences of your own. Use woman in one and women in the other.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday, Day 8!
Commonly Confused Words:
1. farther, further
farther (adv)- at or to a greater distance (used to refer to measurable distance)
example: Texas is farther west that Louisiana.
further (adj or adv)- greater in time, degree, or extent; additionally
example: Frankly, I have no further interest in arguing with you over such trivia.
example: The further you go in the study of psychology, the more fascinating it becomes.
1. The company has suspended (farther, further) negotiations for the contract.
2. The evidence was extensive and offered (farther, further) proof of the defendant's guilt.
3. I rode my bicycle (farther, further) down the road than Maggie did.
4. Hawaii is (farther, further) away than Alaska is.
5. There is no question we need (farther, further) review to be ready for the exam.
2. hang, hanged, hung
hang (vb)- to fasten above with no support from below; to suspend; to attach to a wall; to suspend by the neck until dead.
Hang has two past forms and two different past participle forms, hang, hanged, hung and hang, hung, hung. Hanged is used exclusively in the sense of causing death. Therefore, do not use hung when referring to capital punishment or suicide.
example: The four pictures were hung along the stairway leading to the balcony.
example: In some states, prisoners are hanged for capital offenses.
The prisoner was schedule to be (hanged, hung) at dawn. Just before dawn, the warden received an important call from the prisoner's lawyer. He told the warden that Judge Clements was trying to stop the inmate from being (hanged, hung). Before he (hanged, hung) up, the lawyer told the warden to expect a call from the governor. The warden (hanged, hung) his badge on his shirt and proceeded to the gallows area to wait The prisoner, head (hanged, hung) low, entered. Suddenly, the phone rang. After the warden (hanged, hung) up, he announced a stay of execution had been granted. The prisoner would not be (hanged, hung).
3. its, it's
its (pronoun)- owned by; belonging to
example: A horse uses its tail to swat flies and other insects.
it's- contraction of it is
example: I don't want to go into any more detail about your birthday present; it's a secret.
1. The camel stores water in (its, it's) body for weeks, requiring less fluid than most animals.
2. (Its, It's) clear that the answer to the problem is quite complex.
3. One can easily identify the lilac because of (its, it's) distinctive odor.
4. (Its, It's) interesting how the male pheasant shows off (its, it's) plumage by fanning (its, it's) tail feathers.
1. farther, further
farther (adv)- at or to a greater distance (used to refer to measurable distance)
example: Texas is farther west that Louisiana.
further (adj or adv)- greater in time, degree, or extent; additionally
example: Frankly, I have no further interest in arguing with you over such trivia.
example: The further you go in the study of psychology, the more fascinating it becomes.
1. The company has suspended (farther, further) negotiations for the contract.
2. The evidence was extensive and offered (farther, further) proof of the defendant's guilt.
3. I rode my bicycle (farther, further) down the road than Maggie did.
4. Hawaii is (farther, further) away than Alaska is.
5. There is no question we need (farther, further) review to be ready for the exam.
2. hang, hanged, hung
hang (vb)- to fasten above with no support from below; to suspend; to attach to a wall; to suspend by the neck until dead.
Hang has two past forms and two different past participle forms, hang, hanged, hung and hang, hung, hung. Hanged is used exclusively in the sense of causing death. Therefore, do not use hung when referring to capital punishment or suicide.
example: The four pictures were hung along the stairway leading to the balcony.
example: In some states, prisoners are hanged for capital offenses.
The prisoner was schedule to be (hanged, hung) at dawn. Just before dawn, the warden received an important call from the prisoner's lawyer. He told the warden that Judge Clements was trying to stop the inmate from being (hanged, hung). Before he (hanged, hung) up, the lawyer told the warden to expect a call from the governor. The warden (hanged, hung) his badge on his shirt and proceeded to the gallows area to wait The prisoner, head (hanged, hung) low, entered. Suddenly, the phone rang. After the warden (hanged, hung) up, he announced a stay of execution had been granted. The prisoner would not be (hanged, hung).
3. its, it's
its (pronoun)- owned by; belonging to
example: A horse uses its tail to swat flies and other insects.
it's- contraction of it is
example: I don't want to go into any more detail about your birthday present; it's a secret.
1. The camel stores water in (its, it's) body for weeks, requiring less fluid than most animals.
2. (Its, It's) clear that the answer to the problem is quite complex.
3. One can easily identify the lilac because of (its, it's) distinctive odor.
4. (Its, It's) interesting how the male pheasant shows off (its, it's) plumage by fanning (its, it's) tail feathers.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Days 5 & 6!
So, in case you didn't tune in yesterday, we took the whole class to write the RAFTS exercises that we didn't get to the day before!
Today, we will begin class with some practice with word choice. In order to have professional writing, it is pertinent that you have a good vocabulary!
Once we have finished that, we will share our RAFTS. We will read through each of them, and talk about what is good about each, and about what we can do better. Then, I will give you some time to revise your writing to strengthen your word choice!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Day 4!
Welcome to day 4!
Today we will start with some grammar practice. Today's focus will be parallelism! We will talk about what parallelism is, what it looks like, and how to properly implement it in sentences. Then, you will do some practice.
Afterwards, we will talk more about tone and purpose. You will share the articles, videos, etc. that you found online and talk about how you could tell what the tone and purpose were.
If we have time, we will complete some writing activities! Click this link to view the Tone/Purpose RAFTS that we will be completing!
See you soon!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Day 3!
Today, we will start of with some practice with commonly confused words. I will give you 15ish minutes to work on the exercises below, and then we will take some time to discuss the answers.
After that, we will begin talking about tone and purpose.
Commonly Confused Words Practice:
as, like
definitions:
as (conj)- in or to the same degree; in the same manner
ex. Jesse won the big race just as he had done the year before.
like (prep)- similar to, in the manner of (introduces a prepositional phrase)
ex. You know, you look just like your mother.
1. Don't do what I do; do (as, like) I say.
2. The crowd applauded and screamed loudly (as, like) hometown fans usually do.
3. The audience swooned in unison (as, like) a chorus at Ali's portrayal of the dying swan.
4. (As, Like) I said, not many people appreciate your crude remarks.
fewer, less
definitions:
fewer (adj)- a smaller number (refers to things that can be counted)
ex. There are fewer people smoking cigarettes today than there were ten years ago.
less (adj)- smaller in size amount or degree; not so large, great, or much (refers to things that cannot be counted)
1. Write four complete sentences. Two sentences should contain "fewer", and the other two should contain "less".
set, sit
definitions:
set (vb)- to put something from one place to another; to fix the value of at a certain amount or rate; to pass below the horizon; to assume a rigid state
ex. Phyllis set the dish on the table and left the room.
sit (vb)- to be seated; to be located or situated; to remain quiet or inactive
ex. Please sit at the table.
1. Vera (set, sit) the lamp on the table nearest the French doors.
2. Belinda and Lily (set, sat) patiently, waiting for the secretary to call their names.
3. Once you (set, sit) down, we can begin the class.
4. Carl (set, sit) his alarm clock before he went to sleep.
5. (Set, Sit) the plant nearer to the window so it will get some natural light.
After that, we will begin talking about tone and purpose.
Commonly Confused Words Practice:
as, like
definitions:
as (conj)- in or to the same degree; in the same manner
ex. Jesse won the big race just as he had done the year before.
like (prep)- similar to, in the manner of (introduces a prepositional phrase)
ex. You know, you look just like your mother.
1. Don't do what I do; do (as, like) I say.
2. The crowd applauded and screamed loudly (as, like) hometown fans usually do.
3. The audience swooned in unison (as, like) a chorus at Ali's portrayal of the dying swan.
4. (As, Like) I said, not many people appreciate your crude remarks.
fewer, less
definitions:
fewer (adj)- a smaller number (refers to things that can be counted)
ex. There are fewer people smoking cigarettes today than there were ten years ago.
less (adj)- smaller in size amount or degree; not so large, great, or much (refers to things that cannot be counted)
1. Write four complete sentences. Two sentences should contain "fewer", and the other two should contain "less".
set, sit
definitions:
set (vb)- to put something from one place to another; to fix the value of at a certain amount or rate; to pass below the horizon; to assume a rigid state
ex. Phyllis set the dish on the table and left the room.
sit (vb)- to be seated; to be located or situated; to remain quiet or inactive
ex. Please sit at the table.
1. Vera (set, sit) the lamp on the table nearest the French doors.
2. Belinda and Lily (set, sat) patiently, waiting for the secretary to call their names.
3. Once you (set, sit) down, we can begin the class.
4. Carl (set, sit) his alarm clock before he went to sleep.
5. (Set, Sit) the plant nearer to the window so it will get some natural light.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Thursday, August 15!
And we're to day 2!
Today we will be taking a look at some of your essays from last year. You will spend some time re-reading what you wrote so that you can get a closer look at your writing. After you have read your essay and the comments that I made on it, I will have you complete a short written reflection about your writing skills. This reflection will help me get a better idea of where you think you stand with your writing, and what you aim to accomplish before you leave class this year.
THEN, we will take some time to prepare (or re-prepare) for the ACT and/or MAP tests you may end up taking next week! Woo hoo! I know you're all super stoked about that. I've got a brief practice test for you to take, and if we get time at the end of class we will go through the answers to see how you did!
I CANNOT WAIT!!!
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